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Positives or Negatives: What to Look At?

This may be an odd question, but it is something I have thought about recently. My first thought is you can judge a person's personality or view on a life all from how they look at certain things.

For example, the first thing that comes to mind is how people look at the rain. I think God created rain to help his other creations grow. I personally love the feel of rain on my face or the smell of rain after the storm. Yes, I know that lightning and sometimes even the rain itself can do damage to creation, but I think the beauty that comes from it is more worth it than if the rain never came. Every time I see rain I always pull out a device to record the beauty of the water falling from the sky onto different objects, or just to record the patterned sounds of the rain hitting whatever is closest to it. I just really enjoy rain I guess. But, I know that some people will think of rain and all they can think of is the lightning (which is beautiful, and so hard to capture which makes it cooler) and the danger that comes from that, or the annoying sound of thunder. Normally as a child, we are scared of rain because all we can think is of those scary sounds and thoughts that come from rain.

Now that is not the only example, and I am sure that what I am getting to next does not always apply to the rain analogy, but from what I can see if you are a rain-hater (if you can only see the negatives in the rain) then you are probably a pessimist and look for the worst side possible when making choices that seem to have a big impact. The glass looks half full to you.

But, there are some of us who can see the beauty in the rain. We can see the puddles as fun to splash in, or a way to entertain our kids. We can see water running down the roof as a personal mini waterfall. We can see the joy and hope that the rain gives because the rain is beautiful.

Yet, could there be a third example? Could there almost be a "Sound of Music" example- when you are afraid or in a bad situation because all you can see is bad, you chose to look at the good? I think this needs to be the attitude of everyone who is going through any kind of struggle. Even if the world seems to be falling apart, and even if you naturally want to focus on the bad in the world and become Eyior, we can choose to think about all the blessings that God has given us in the past and look to the future to think of all that God is going to do for us in the coming years if we make it through what we are going through.

We need to remember a few things:
1. It is all going to be okay. If God allows us, or whomever, to die or not make it He has a plan- and He knows what He is doing. Romans 8:28, my key verse, gives me hope so I can remember that no matter what, even if I think the rest of my life was a waste and it was too much of a pain to deal with, it was all for God.
2. Jesus is Enough. Similar to what I mentioned above if the rest of our lives are never the same that is okay because we have Jesus. For those of us who are saved, we will make it out okay.
3. Our purpose in life is not to live for ourselves but to Give God Glory. "To live is Christ; to die is gain."

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